FFM Bulletin 10/6/2009 - Freedom Foundation of Minnesota

FFM Bulletin 10/6/2009

Join us for the world premiere of documentary "Not Evil Just Wrong" October 18

On October 18, FFM will host the exclusive Minnesota premiere of the documentary film that Al Gore and Hollywood don't want you to see, "Not Evil Just Wrong." The film reveals the true costs of global warming hysteria, and how extreme environmentalism threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of millions in the developed and developing world. Click here to view the trailer.

The event begins at 7:00pm and will be held at Solera Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis (900 Hennepin Avenue). Seating is limited, so reserve your seats today. Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased through Paypal. You may also pay by mailing a check to: Freedom Foundation of Minnesota, 900 2nd Avenue South, Suite 570, Minneapolis, MN 55402.

Help us make history by being a part of a world record for the largest ever simultaneous film premiere. Solera will be one of 2,000 locations across the United States that will be viewing this important documentary simultaneously. We hope you can join us for an exciting and informative evening!

If you have any questions, please e-mail Christina Pajak or call her at 612-354-2160.

Minnesota watchdog training session Saturday, October 24

The Freedom Foundation of Minnesota will hold a Minnesota Watchdog training session Saturday, October 24 in downtown Minneapolis. The goal of this session is to train concerned citizens from across the state to become local taxpayer watchdogs, tracking local government activities in their own backyard.

The event will feature instruction and panel discussions on:

Legal issues involving the Freedom of Information Act

Minnesota Data Practices Act, and Minnesota Open Meeting Law

How to work with traditional and new media

How to analyze local government documents and financial data

The downtown Minneapolis training session will be held on Saturday, October 24th with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. and the conference concluding no later than 1:30 pm.

Speakers and further conference information will be available shortly and included in future FFM Bulletins.

To register for the session, or if you have any questions, please call FFM at 612-354-2192.

Minnesota 2020 and ACORN

In the wake of the recent ACORN scandals, it seems that everyone is running as fast and far as possible from the disgraced advocacy group. The U.S. House and Senate recently voted to end public funding for ACORN by margins of 345-75 and 83-7 respectively. Even Nancy Pelosi has called for an investigation. Most of ACORN's reliable liberal allies have, in the name of political expediency, thrown ACORN under the hybrid-electric bus. Everyone, that is, but Minnesota 2020, the liberal think tank founded by former state legislator Matt Entenza.

According to their website, as of October 1, 2009, MN2020 is "pleased to continue working and consulting with," among other groups, ACORN (text highlighted by FFM for clarity).

The think tank also lists as a partner the Service Employees International, ACORN's biggest union backer. Let's give Minnesota 2020 the benefit of the doubt; maybe they haven't kept up on the news. Maybe MN2020 hasn't seen the videos of ACORN employees assisting a purported pimp and prostitute in concealing a trafficking operation involving underage sex workers from El Salvador. Perhaps they haven't heard that ACORN is currently under investigation in 20 states and that the U.S. Justice Department has opened a probe into the group's public funding. And maybe they missed the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota's coverage of Minnesota's own ACORN whistleblower.

Coming from a group that has routinely blasted conservative organizations and officials for alleged "hypocrisy" and "dishonesty," you might expect them to be wary of affiliating with an apparently corrupt organization. After all, MN2020 promises its supporters it will "monitor conservative groups and hold them accountable."

A few months back, our progressive friends at MN2020 took some cheap shots at the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota for advocating LGA reductions. After falsely accusing so many of their free-market counterparts of hypocrisy and lacking integrity, we anxiously await MN2020's repudiation of ACORN's sleazy tactics and apparent corruption. Anything short of that would be - oh, what's the word - hypocrisy.

FFM in the news: BigGovernment.com and more

FFM's recent ACORN whistleblower video was a featured item last week on BigGovernment.com, the online news service that first exposed ACORN employees for advising a purported pimp and prostitute on how to conceal their illegal activities.

In economic stimulus news, FFM Investigative Director Tom Steward recently appeared on Mankato TV station KEYC to discuss tracking the stimulus dollars as well as other government transparency issues. Click here to watch the video.

Annette Meeks also had a letter to the editor in the Pioneer Press Sunday. To read FFM's and Arthur Laffer's report on health care reform that Annette references in her letter, click here.

And finally, Freedom Foundation of Minnesota CEO Annette Meeks is a regular contributor to the Star Tribune's "Your Voices" blog. You can follow her here.